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Sasha Kuznetsov
Name: Sasha Keznetsov Description: Age 14, 5'1, fair skinned and slight, twiggy build, reddish-brown hair and grey eyes. 5 Fate investment in Organization Azrael and Tears of Allah: 2 Taggable Aspects: 'Intruiged by his moxie', 'aware the world is changing' ;Current Refresh :1 (8 Base - 7 spent) ;Current Fate :1 ;Stress :Physical OOOOOOOO :Mental OOOO+1 Mild Consequence :Social OO :Armour: 4 (5 Against Evil) Aspects List of aspects, and example invokes/compels. HIGH CONCEPT : Meek Hero to be/The heroes burden *''Invoke '': The Blade of heroes gives Sasha the ability and strength to stand where many before have fallen, and to fight where many before have died, when faced with a truly heroic task, it helps him to rise to the challenge, be it slaying a dragon, rescuing a child from the heart of an inferno or 'simply' battle innumerable odds; even if its just for another second or two, long enough for someone else to escape; in the face of Evil, the Hero is defiant, straight backed and to fight, even if hope is lost; and to sometimes even succeed; while the story might not end happily for the hero, it usually ends happily for those he saves. *''Compel '': A hero is cursed to always be in the right place at the right time, to be tempted and hurt and to carry the burden of the hope of others; they always have the choice to throw it away; but then who would protect those who can't protect themselves? This can be invoked to Complicate Sasha's life, to cause harm on him that would befall others or to involve a problem that tears him between what he wants and what would be the right thing to do. While the story might end happily for those he saves, some stories don't end happily for the hero in the end. TROUBLE : The Quiet Boy in the Corner Sasha is neither confident nor forward, he is sky, hides who he is and has little self-confidence. While he may overcome this for a short time now and then, unless he changes greatly, he will never lead anyone who doesn't trust him, will never stand up to a bully in his own defence (Although the defence of others is another matter) and will never be able to really stand up for himself. *''Invoke '': While his quiet childhood was not good for his self-image, it did leave Sasha with two things, a basic scholastic knowledge; and the ability to be severely underestimated by any and all who don't know him very well. Sasha also knows he is shy; and hates himself for it, this forces him to force himself to try not to show it, giving strength to his attempts to shake off his bad habits. *''Compel '': Sasha has trouble standing up for himself; and even when he does, it comes in bursts; the bravery to speak to a person he wants to be friends with quickly ebbs; and is replaced with shyness and only those who really make an effort (There have been few) to bridge the gap, he finds himself comfortable with and able to relax around. It leaves him adrift in the face of Social situations very frequently. ORIGINS : The Hole left by Loneliness Sasha grew up in an orphanage in Siberia, having been left on the Doorstep as a baby. The hole left by never knowing your parents is a gap that can never be filled, it might be smaller at times, and at others become fresh and painful, but it never goes away. This pain puts him in a strange position, wanting to be closer to others, but at the same time, afraid of being hurt, happy to comfort others; but also leaving him open to the machinations of people less kind. *''Invoke '': A natural kindness to the pain of others shines through, when others are in pain, Sasha usually knows what to say, how to offer a shoulder in the best way and how to leave them feeling better than if he hadn't been there. *''Compel '': The hole in Sasha's heart hurts, it leaves him weak to the cruelty of others who he cares about; and leaves him wanting to fill that hole; when faced with affection, or kindness, Sasha is usually more willing to believe a person is truly kind, or cares about him, than he is willing to accept that he is being manipulated; and the betrayal if this turns out to be the case, hurts even more for it. RISING CONFLICT :''' '''In the Shadow of Giants On this 13th Birthday, Sasha first met a stranger who told him what it was to be a hero; he told him that being a hero meant many things to many people; and that only by experiencing what it meant and understanding what he was fighting for could he truly grow into himself; he doesn't know what this means and the stranger told him the only way to find out was to go out and to do, to act. He told him that a hero is always where he is needed most; to be unbroken in the face of the worst of the world; to be strong, and brave and to inspire others to be such, he spoke for hours on the nature of heroes and spoke of them as almost godly beings. Sasha knows little of heroes, when he was young he dreamt of being one, but now, in the fact of the reality, was that he wasn't sure he could be one, he was 13, scared and not really that brave. But he didn't mention this to the stranger and as such has an inferiority complex about being a hero, unsure that anything he does will be good enough to live up to the title, this mixed with his trouble The Burden of a Hero which is an intrinsic part of what he is becoming, slowly, leaves him quiet and unsure that he wants to be a hero, the stranger told him that many have stepped down from what he called their 'duty' over the years. *''Invoke '': To resist temptation, be it to put down the sword, or to abuse its power; to try to live up to the 'legend' of heroes and to stand strong in the face of adversity. *''Compel '': To bring forth some conflict that leaves Sasha unsure of his abilities; or to tempt him towards giving in; throwing in the towel. It also drives him to act heroic, in an attempt to prove himself, to defend the innocent, face his fears even when it is ill advised to do so, or to fight Evil wherever it raises its head, not for the right reasons, but because he has so much to live up to in his own eyes. ADVENTURE : The Gentle Strength of Compassion When Sasha first arrived in the city, it's lower classes were in the grip of fear, fear of a murderer who arrived by night and took another homeless person each dawn, who was never seen again; Sasha was drawn into this when he befriended a homeless girl, who's friend then went missing; determined to help his new friend before she too disappeared; he stepped into the night, despite his fear. But will Sasha succeed in the face of social boundaries, a corrupt politicians secret agenda, social services and an unknown butcher in the dark? *''Invoke '': There is a gentle strength to Sasha, not the power of someone who is physically strong, or the iron will of someone who is completely sure of who they are, but the willow-in-the-storm ability to bend, to forgive, to admit he's human and then to say that despite that, he will act anyway, he will do all he can for those he cares about; to help someone he cares about; be it pushing them out the path of a moving car, delivering a love letter they're too shy to hand over themselves in front of an entire crowd of people, or wrestle a feral dog that just attacked them. The gentle strength of someone who cares. It also leaves him surprisingly non-judgemental in the face of the foibles of those around him and allows him to see past the surface. *''Compel '': Sasha has few friends, few True friends and values them deeply, he will walk through hell and high water for those he cares about; which at the moment consists of his Orphanage, even though it is far away and Natasha, the street Urchin. Sasha is also very protective of his friends, and can get surprisingly angry if they are hurt. OTHER #1: This so called Coward If asked, Sasha would describe himself as nothing special, maybe even as a coward; however this isn't the case, mostly, while he isn't very brave in the face of other people; or in the face of life, he can be very, very brave in the face of fear, or in the face of death; while he has no confidence in himself; when it comes down to true Grit, Sasha is a surprisingly strong boy; now if only he'd realize that. *''Invoke '': When faced with true fear, or horror, Sasha digs in his heels and faces it, rather than running away. Where others would falter, this so called Coward faces forwards with gritted teeth and a bellyful of fear. *''Compel '': While in the face of true fear, Sasha can be incredibly brave; in the face of more mundane situations, he often fails to take action or be brave, particularly when acting on his own behalf rather than anyone else’s. And of course this can also make a bad impression on those who value outward bravery, rather than inner courage. OTHER #2: Warmth and Kindness Sasha is a kind boy, he is gentle and sweet and thoughtful; and usually, despite how he acts, not afraid of people in general, he doesn't judge others and, when they reach out to him, finds it easy to make friends, even with others who usually wouldn't have friends, under the shyness, there is a good, warm, human heart. *''Invoke '': To act kindly, make friends and avoid others fearing him, as well as calm them and to act in a kind way. *''Compel '': Kindness is not always repaid in kind, Kindness can be invoked to put Sasha in a situation where his Kindness is abused, or where it would be kinder to be cruel, or harsh. . Skills ;Superb (+5) :Conviction ;Great (+4) :Weapons from True Aim :Endurance ;Good (+3) :Empathy :Alertness :Lore ;Fair (+2) :Discipline :Craftsmanship :Athletics :Contacts ;Average (+1) :Athletics :Investigation :Scholarship :Rapport Powers -7 Heroic influence -1 Tales forger: A Hero is a creature from old tales; a knight in shining armour, a barbarian hero holding a bridge alone and driving back the horde, a sharp eyed archer who steals from the rich and gives to the poor; all these are heroes and all have their own equipment, that brings what they are to the minds of those around them, that inspires and evokes heroic images; a true hero can take the simplest objects and embue them with this power, he can turn the tale on its head, a mop becomes a quarterstaff, a pot becomes a helmet, a dustbin lid a shield to hold off the dragons fire; rust shucks from an old fire poker revealing true steel undernieth and an old beach ride donkey becomes a fire eye'd steed, remembering its ancestors who were ridden to battle by heroes. While the objects remain the same, and it might look unusual, or even silly, they will invoke in watchers memories of ancient heroes; and over time might even physically change if they are used for long enough or enough power is put into them. By spending a fate point the character can temporarily embue power into similar objects, turning them into part of the tale, granting them a temporary aspect and allowing him to use any powers he has through them. Guide My Hand -1 Faith Manages: ''Given the time to pray for guidance and provided that your goals are pure and your actions are selfless, you may spend a fate point to use your Conviction skill instead of any other skill for one roll. This effect cannot be used for any attacks or maneuvers, but it can be used to bypass other kinds of obstacles. ''Spiritual Guidance: ''You have a semi-conscious awareness of where you are needed most. Usually, this simply means you are guided to the right place at the right time. If the GM agrees that such a circumstance is in effect, you need not spend a fate point to stage a fortuitous arrival (page 20). Sometimes this might work in reverse, allowing an ally to show up where you already are. '''Pure of body' (Wizard's Constitution) 0 The Spirit of Hope -1 Hope: By latching onto the hope of those around him, a Hero can become stronger and wield the hope as a weapon or too. By spending a fate point the character can pull to him the fear and desperation and Hope of those around him; and use it to rise to the challenge set forth, he makes a conviction roll and gains a number of Plusses, the exact number depends on the circumstances, while a mugging might only give 2+, cutting into a bank Vault to save a group of hostages might give 4+; and saving a Princess from a Dragon might give 5+, the bonus is also effected by the number of people involved in the incident, as the more people involved, the more people who are hoping that something will save them. ;Item of power (Blade of a Hero; based off the Sword of the Cross It em) -3 :A simple, iron Russian Sabre with no markings bar the imprint on the cross handle, which reads 'По Смиту, который формировал меня герои кованые и закаленных' which reads, 'by the Smith who shaped me; are heroes forged and tempered' and a makers mark on the tang of the blade, just above the hilt. :Update: Your blade has become longer and curved. Among many of the new small symbols engraved upon the hilt, there is one glyph of a hero rushing into a fire, one of a hero's kiss awakening a woman, and one of wizards bowing down before the hero All Creatures Are Equal Before God. This is the truest purpose of the Blade of a Hero, the ability that makes even ancient dragons take pause when facing a Hero. When facing an opponent, the Hero may spend a fate point to ignore that opponent’s defensive abilities (Toughness based ones, primarily), as well as any mundane armor the foe has, for the duration of the scene. In essence, Blade of a Hero may take the place of whatever it is that a creature has a weakness to (whatever “the Catch” is on their Toughness powers, see page 185), on demand, so long as the Hero can spend that fate point—particularly handy when facing ultra-tough Denarians or true dragons. Whatever abilities a creature may have, the job of the Blade of a Hero is creating a mostly even playing field— or something very much like it—between mortal and monster. Only in the name of Hope. The Blade of a Hero can only be wielded by those who are chosen; and only in a way that the owner considers 'right' to wield it; such as in the defence of the innocent; to wield the blade of a hero is to take on the role of a hero and all that comes with it. When swung without such purpose in mind and heart, the blow does not land (any attack roll automatically fails), the bond is immediately broken, and the sword falls from the wielder’s hand. Basically, the GM and player should look at the description above as a guideline for how to compel the high concept attached to the sword — your character might be tempted to use the sword for reasons that he cannot justify to himself, and could either receive a fate point to stay his hand or succumb to the temptation and lose the sword temporarily. Holy/''Rightious'' This weapon is a powerful holy symbol in its own right. Its very touch is like holy water or that of a cross or other symbol of faith backed by the belief of the possessor. True Aim. When swung in keeping with its purpose, a Sword of the Cross grants a +1 to the wielder’s Weapons skill. Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, it cannot be broken, save through dedicated magical ritual predicated upon perverting its purpose. 'Item of power (The shield of Heroes; Baldorearm'-1)' :A Kite Shield made of plain, dull grey metal, on the front, emossed in the metal of the shield's outer edge, are the words 'Beinnan deorcnes, se ácolitus lig Hopa ond sy hoga' Darkness, the Light Bearer carries Hope and is Alone :However the inner side of the shield is a different matter, upon the inner side is an entire poem, written down the centre, in small, loopy letters that make it almost impossible to read. :It reads as follows: : Á eorðtúdor máius sweofet éaðe men may sleep easier : Ingewitnes hiera cýþþu ond eardgeard geborgen their land and world safer : Be sum rinc beinnan purhwaoian a hero stands in vigil : Strengþ ond singal and eternal : Ánhýdig ond mægenellen and mighty of valor : Handdæda hyge wita nánuht ac árfæstnes heart knows only virtue : Handdæda ierre forde se unmann Wrath undoes the wicked : Beinnan se rihthand sum méce the right hand a weapon : Ond inna se winstre in the left hand : Ic básnian á se middangeard árléasnes await all the worlds wickedness : Gearwung æt rand handdæda ísenordál to bear his ordeal : Ond áscildan á se middangeard bealuléas to defend all the worlds innocent : Min ágennama sy Baldorearm name is Hero's arm Supernatural Toughness -4 that affects only physical, solid attacks +3: Armour 2 (Stacks with other types of Armour, usually Plate), 4 extra Stress boxes. Guardian's Challenge '''-1:When a physical attack or maneuver that can be defended with Athletics, Fists, or Weapons is made against an ally within 3 zones of Sasha, or by an enemy within 3 zones of him, it takes a -2 penalty to the roll if it does not include Sasha (or any of Sasha's allies with Guardian's Challenge) as a target. An enemy making an attack or maneuver that might be affected by this stunt is aware of the effect, and Sasha can choose to deactivate it for a given attack or maneuver. ''Guardian of the Innocent '-1': By spending 1 fate point, until the end of the scene, instead of imposing a -2 penalty to a given roll with Guardian's Challenge, Sasha can redirect the physical attack or maneuver to himself.. Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, it cannot be broken, save through dedicated magical ritual predicated upon perverting its purpose. Armour 3 (1 vs Magic) Equipment * Travel Bag * Old Clothes * Orthodox Cross * Legal license to carry historical re-enactment weapons within city limits contacts * An LCD dreamcatcher. A 1.5-foot, circular device framed by black polymer, its abyss-black LCD center continuously produces the image of a dreamcatcher in cool shades of blue, accompanied by fairly snazzy, Winamp-style visualization effects. It can also be set to function as a clock, a calendar, a thermometer, a barometer, and a weather-checking device, for the more practical-minded. Dangling from it are black feathers and beads to give it a more authentic look, and on its back is an actual dreamcatcher woven from sturdy, silk threads. Also dangling from it, amidst those feathers, are three tinier, circular, two-sided LCD screens, each about two inches in diameter. Each continuously produces an abstract sigil representing a gear, a tentacle, and a coin, in that order. Also with snazzy visualization effects in shades of blue. Florian's idea for some stupidly artsy and arguably useless keepsake, realized by Agata's family. *Special, black cards with a magnetic strip, along with everyone's names. These cards can be presented to any business or any store in all of Moscow, and it will result in the bearer being able to purchase any and all candy, sweets, cookies, cakes, and the like absolutely free. Nina did mention wanting to steal candy, so, Agata figures... *A Roomba 780 and a Scooba 230. Less time sweeping and washing floors means more time... fighting monsters? That is Agata's logic, at least. *A Sectera Edge PDA-phone, so that everyone can communicate safely and without fear of being electronically eavesdropped on or disrupted. "Certified by the National Security Agency as being acceptable for Top Secret voice communications and Secret e-mail and Web sites." Plans not already paid for, cheapskates. *Ten (for each person) mayonnaise bottle-sized squirt bottles of holy water, straight from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. *A one-foot-diameter buckler of lightweight... whatever it is light ballistic shields are made of. Straps onto forearm. Provides Armor:1. Due to the wonders of 2010s engineering, can radially fold when not in use, making it easily storable in a backpack. --- Other NPCs: Levkin: Owe 6 Dougnuts, summon by making a circle and closing with blood. Paid in full.